Picasso vandal suspect's case is his lawyer's 'worst nightmare'

She says alleged confession makes job difficult

Updated 6:54 pm, Monday, January 14, 2013

Uriel Landeros surrendered after being on the run for nearly a year. (photo from his Facebook page).

Uriel Landeros surrendered after being on the run for nearly a year. (photo from his Facebook page).

Photo: (Facebook)

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A Houston man has been charged after a Crime Stoppers tip identified him as the individual responsible for defacing Pablo Picasso’s “Woman in a Red Armchair,” housed at the Menil Collection.

On Friday, June 22, 2012, twenty two year old Uriel Landeros, was charged with Criminal Mischief and Felony Graffiti, both third degree felonies. Landeros is described as a white male, standing 5’8”, weighing 180 lbs. Anyone with information about the location of Uriel Landeros is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).

Thank you for your attention to this fugitive profile, and for your continued support of Crime Stoppers.

Pablo Picasso painted "Woman in a Red Armchair" in 1929. A vandal damaged the work in June at the Menil, where it underwent several months of restoration.

Pablo Picasso painted "Woman in a Red Armchair" in 1929. A vandal damaged the work in June at the Menil, where it underwent several months of restoration.

Photo: Hickey-Robertson

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From Uriel Landeros' Facebook page.

From Uriel Landeros' Facebook page.

Photo: (Facebook)

Image 5 of 5

From Uriel Landeros' Facebook page.

From Uriel Landeros' Facebook page.

Photo: (Facebook)

Picasso vandal suspect's case is his lawyer's 'worst nightmare'

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An attorney representing a Houston graffiti artist charged with vandalizing a Picasso painting last year said public statements the 22-year-old made admitting to spray-painting the 1929 masterpiece at the Menil Collection will make defending him more difficult.

"A criminal defense attorney's worst nightmare is when your client gives an alleged full confession on tape," said Emily Detoto, an attorney for Uriel Landeros. "That does make my job a lot more difficult."

Her client is accused of fleeing authorities after Picasso's "Woman in a Red Armchair" was spray-painted with a stencil of a bullfighter killing a bull and the word "conquista" - Spanish for "conquered" - on June 13.

Landeros, described by his attorney as a well-known and accomplished graffiti artist, surrendered this week in Mexico.

He is charged with criminal mischief and felony graffiti, both third-degree felonies.

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A cellphone video taken by a museum patron allegedly captured Landeros vandalizing the painting, which is valued at several million dollars. The video, which went viral on YouTube, identified him in the caption.

In August, Landeros posted a video online in which he says he "did this to turn heads … to raise awareness. … I am sorry for insulting anybody who misunderstood my message."

He said he did not intend to destroy the painting, which has since been restored.

Detoto said Landeros, an American citizen, may have been in Mexico since he fled. He is expected to be in Harris County by Friday.

If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Detoto said her client attempted for two days to turn himself in to authorities in Mexico before successfully surrendering to U.S. Marshals on Tuesday at the U.S.-Mexico border.

"He went to the consulate in Monterrey, Mexico, but was turned away," Detoto said. "He took a bus from Monterrey to Reynosa, where he turned himself in at the international point of entry in McAllen."